Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter

NEWS ABOUT: canines

canines stories: 7 news summaries

 Gadget Translates 
 'Woof' into 
 Words 

Japanese toymaker debuts dog translator next month

(Newser) - Ever wonder what your dog is thinking? The “Bowlingual Voice” from Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy claims to be able to tell you just that, the Telegraph reports. The device is made up of a microphone and transmitter on the collar that categorizes the dog’s utterances into one of... More »

MORE ABOUT:
weird Japan canine behavior invention dog gadget canines

They Don't
Call Him Fido
for Nothing

Dogs are ethical, full
of natural goodness, scientist says

(Newser) - Science is finally catching up to what dog owners have known all along: Canines are ethical. After thousands of hours studying dogs—once dismissed as "furry automatons," an author said—animal behaviorist Marc Bekoff concluded that they possess the capacity for empathy and compassion, the hallmarks of morality.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
animal behavior human canine behavior empathy Harvard emotion dog human nature canines morality

(Newser) - At Harvard and labs across the country, researchers are turning to dogs for clues on how their brains—and ours—work, the Boston Globe reports. “Psychologists have been ignoring animals that were sleeping quietly at their feet,” one professor said, but no longer. Dogs understand pointing better than... More »

MORE ABOUT:
domestication psychology Harvard dog scientific research canines laboratory

(Newser) - Loki, the Chihuahua who figured prominently in Mickey Rourke’s Golden Globe acceptance speech, died Monday, E! Online reports. The 18-year-old dog accompanied Rourke on the red carpet at the awards. The Oscar-nominated actor is very attached to his canine friends. “Sometimes, when a man is alone, that's all... More »

MORE ABOUT:
death award show actor dog chihuahua canines Mickey Rourke Loki

 Dogs Get Jealous: Study 

But canine envy is simpler than that felt by primates

(Newser) - Dogs can indeed get jealous, a new study shows. While it’s known that other primates feel envy, the report offers the first evidence of the green-eyed monster in canines. Dogs were paired up and commanded to put their paw in an experimenter’s hand, and then given unequal rewards:... More »

MORE ABOUT:
experiments canine behavior science experiment primates dog canines envy

ANALYSIS

 'Dog Years' Just Don't Add Up 

The '7-year' rule is too simplistic, veterinarians say

(Newser) - A human year is 7 dog years, right? That ubiquitous formula has been driving veterinarians and dog enthusiasts nuts for decades. If it were accurate, some pooches would live to the equivalent of age 150 or so, Carl Bialik writes in the Wall Street Journal. For those who must convert,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
pets age lifespan veterinarian dog canines

US Imports its Drug-Sniffing Dogs for $4,500 Each

American breeders outraged over European preference

(Newser) - The US government purchases hundreds of untrained bomb- and drug-sniffing dogs from Europe every year for as much as $4,535 each, quadruple the price of American dogs, a new federal report says. Domestic breeders and spending watchdogs are angered by the government's penchant for expensive foreign purebreds. "What... More »

MORE ABOUT:
homeland security US government spending dog bomb-sniffing dogs dog breeders canines

7 Stories